New rules are being proposed for Gisborne’s cemeteries, including a ban on offensive headstones.
Gisborne district councillors discussed alcohol in cemeteries, gang symbols on headstones, and the autonomy to dig graves for whānau during a meeting on new cemetery bylaws yesterday.
"We’re talking about how people grieve," said one councillor.
Councillor Rhonda Tibble said the discussion highlighted "the complexities of divergent and diverse world views that occur about our funerary rights”.
"Death rituals are a big deal for Māori. It’s where you see us being deeply involved in our cultural expressions of our tangata whenuatanga," she said.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz clarified the definition of the term "bylaw". It was "mainly best practice", she said. "It does not mean someone is going to sit there and write out fines... if it’s criminal activities, police will enforce that."
'We shouldn't allow parties... but youths grieve their way'
Councillor Nick Tupara said the term "bylaw" was confusing for Māori communities and suggested calling it "tikanga or kawa".
Councillor Rawinia Parata said when it came to people drinking at cemeteries “we should not allow for parties, but we should allow space for our rangatahi to grieve in their own way”.
When a young person died, rangatahi processed that death differently from when someone had had a long life, she said.
Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga noted that "asking those unruly persons to quiet down for burial proceedings has been successful", according to the report.
Councillor Aubrey Ria raised a point on a clause that could target gangs.
Prohibiting offensive and intimidating content on monuments was "a grey scale" area, she said.
"Personally, I am not offended or intimidated by any gang insignia. I’ve never had a negative interaction with a gang member."
She said "probably most people had not had a negative personal experience with a gang member in the last 10 to 15 years", and that perception of intimidation came from media coverage of gangs.
"I understand not having profanity [on monuments], as this is offensive to the majority, but removing gang insignia actually affects hundreds of gang members in our community," she said.
'If you see something offensive... walk away'
Councillor Tony Robinson said he struggled with the idea of putting a draft out to the public that limited insignia or any other symbols "on the basis that it’s an exceptional exception to the Bill of Rights Act".
"If you see something on someone’s headstone and you take offence, it’s a big cemetery — walk away."
Chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said once one exception was made, then all would expect to do likewaise.
"It’s not just Mongrel Mob and Black Power," she said.
Tibble said it was important to remember history and why there might be gang insignia.
"Where Māori are heavily populated inside the gangs, there’s an actual whakapapa for why that expression exists the way that it does today."
Councillor Teddy Thompson agreed with the discussions and said: "Everybody has different ways of showing respect."
Why can't whānau fill in the graves?
The discussions also brought up grave digging as another issue of concern.
Councillor Ani Pahuru-Huriwai mentioned that on the Coast whānau dug and filled their graves as this was an important part of their healing.
"Why is it that whānau are not able to fill in the grave?"
Thatcher Swann said allowing whānau to dig their own graves became a health and safety liability for the council.
Parata suggested a middle ground of allowing men on site during the digging process — even if they were not actively digging or filling the grave. He said this was "a way that keeps council safe in terms of health and safety but also allows for us [Māori] to complete our cultural process of ensuring that the hole is done".
"It’s a process of honour for the person we are putting in the ground."
Councillors endorsed the findings of the report tabled at the meeting. The next stage would be engaging with tangata whenua to help develop a draft bylaw which would go out for consultation in June.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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